Hillcrest soccer earns second place in SEISC tournament
May 17, 2021

Hillcrest soccer earns second place in SEISC tournament

Senior Eli Ours

Friday, May 14, 2021  
Hillcrest 1, Columbus 0
Hillcrest entered the SEISC tournament as the number six and looking to show they have improved over the course of season. Friday night the Ravens took the field against the #3 seed Columbus on the turf at Mediapolis. After three away games on small fields, it took some time to adjust to the larger field and the slick playing surface. Once the players adjusted, it didn’t take long for Jorge Canchola and Eli Ours to take control of the midfield area and to create some chances, while limiting Columbus’s scoring opportunities. Later Canchola moved to the right wing spot while John Hughes dropped back into the midfield. The switch paid off as Hughes got the ball to Canchola, who beat the defender down the side before slotting a pass to Will Kolck. Kolck knocked the ball into the goal for what would be the only goal of the game with 13 minutes left in the half.  

The rest of the match saw the defense step up as Grant Bender, Aaron Hershberger and Aidan Yoder stymied the Columbus offense through the second half. Goalie Aiden Krabill recorded three saves to preserve the shutout. 

Saturday, May 15
Hillcrest  3, Mediapolis 1
Saturday’s game time was pushed back an hour because of heavy rains in Wapello as the Ravens took on the #2 seed Mediapolis.  Going into the wind proved to be no problem as the Ravens put immediate pressure on the Mediapolis goal. Four minutes into the game the pressure paid off as Will Kolck sent a pass to Noah Miller who slotted the ball to the far post and the early lead. Hillcrest continued to create chances while the defense stood strong limiting Mediapolis to several shots from long range.  The Ravens added to the lead with 8 minutes left in the half when Miller collected a deflected shot and rifled the ball into the net for the 2-0 half-time lead. 

Mediapolis came out strong in the opening minutes of the second half as the Raven defense rose to the challenge. With a slight wind at their backs, the Ravens created numerous chances but found it difficult to find a third goal. As time wound down, Mediapolis pushed numbers forward, scoring off a deflection with 3:15 left on the clock. Again the defense stood strong as Bender, Hershberger, Yoder along with Dominic Bouse, Eli Ours, Collin Miller, and Jorge Canchola responded well to the numbers Mediapolis pushed forward. As the clock counted to less than one minute, Mediapolis pushed their goalie forward in an attempt to equalize. Instead, the Ravens sent a long ball forward where Noah Miller and the goalie raced to get to the ball. Noah’s shot at the empty net goal was deflected but the ball bounced to John Hughes who sent a shot from about 25 yards out into the goal for the 3-1 win. 

Saturday May 15
Hillcrest 0, Burlington Notre Dame 10
Beating Mediapolis earned the Ravens the chance to face the #1 seed and #1 ranked Burlington Notre Dame thirty minutes after the end of the Mediapolis match. Playing on tired legs, the Ravens tried to contain the potent Notre Dame offense which earlier in the morning beat Danville 11-0 in one half of play and the night before defeated Highland 10-0  in 70 minutes.  The Nikes kept their foots on the pedal scoring twice in the first three minutes to establish control of the game and the play on the field. The half ended 5-0. BND ended the game with 6 minutes left on the clock to win the tournament in a dominating fashion.  

After the weekend action Hillcrest sits at 7-5. The Ravens host Washington Monday, May 17 at 6:00 pm in the Ravens final regular season match. Hillcrest will host Central Lee in the first district matchup Thursday, May 20 with game time at 6:30 pm.